The weekend's here already.
We've been back a week now and, jet lag aside, things are going well.
I've had an enjoyable first week back in work with a little jaunt down to Melbourne for a couple of days, breaking the week up nicely. The wife has had a hectic time, hampering any feelings of possible homesickness.
The girls have settled straight back into school. We were worried that our trip home would unsettle them, as they had such a good time meeting up with their old friends. They had a full day in Dewi Sant, their old school, and Lowri cried that night saying she wanted to stay in Wales, questioning, for the first time, why we had to move to Australia in the first place. Robyn looked a bit glum at the prospect of returning too.
During our stay, the girls both made rather poignant comments to me which I could really relate to. The sort of comments that only a child could make, but sum up the situation perfectly.
Lowri said to me, 'Dad, when I'm in Wales I don't think about people in Australia, but when I'm in Australia I always think about people in Wales.'
And after her day at her old school, Robyn said, 'Dad, in school some people called us the Australian girls. In Australia they call us the Welsh girls. I don't like it.'
What they said struck a chord with me and I had concerns about their feelings and emotions. Fortunately though, they got straight back into it and seem glad to be here.
They both came home today with outstanding mid-year school reports which made Pauline and I proud.
Australian or Welsh, they're good girls.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Home From Home
It's four o'clock on Sunday morning here and we've just arrived back in the Dong.
Door to door, that's a 35 hour journey. Sounds bad , but it was actually alright. As our son, Cory, was 'Trooping the Colour' on Horse Guards Parade in London, I was watching Billy Elliot over Indonesia
Despite it being the wee small hours, I'm wide awake. Still on Rhyl time, I guess. It's seven p.m. there. The iced coffee with added guarana I had an hour ago may also be a contributing factor.
It's a weird feeling. We're home, but we've just left home.
As we flew into Sydney we had a great view over the harbour. Being greeted by the iconic sight of the Opera House and the 'Old Coathanger' left me with a warm, welcoming feeling inside.
We're home. From home.
Door to door, that's a 35 hour journey. Sounds bad , but it was actually alright. As our son, Cory, was 'Trooping the Colour' on Horse Guards Parade in London, I was watching Billy Elliot over Indonesia
Despite it being the wee small hours, I'm wide awake. Still on Rhyl time, I guess. It's seven p.m. there. The iced coffee with added guarana I had an hour ago may also be a contributing factor.
It's a weird feeling. We're home, but we've just left home.
As we flew into Sydney we had a great view over the harbour. Being greeted by the iconic sight of the Opera House and the 'Old Coathanger' left me with a warm, welcoming feeling inside.
We're home. From home.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Singapore Swim
For the second time in just under a year we find ourselves at Singapore's marvellous Changi Airport, en route to Australia.
I feel a lot better than last time we were here, when the wounds of leaving home were still raw.
We had a great time at home and leaving this time around wasn't half as bad as I imagined it would be.
Me and the girls have just been for a swim in the nice little outdoor pool they've got here. It's an ideal way to freshen up after a long flight.
We board the plane to Sydney in ten minutes.
I feel a lot better than last time we were here, when the wounds of leaving home were still raw.
We had a great time at home and leaving this time around wasn't half as bad as I imagined it would be.
Me and the girls have just been for a swim in the nice little outdoor pool they've got here. It's an ideal way to freshen up after a long flight.
We board the plane to Sydney in ten minutes.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Well, what a fortnight it's been.
Pauline's dad's funeral was very sad, but, as far as funerals go, went perfectly. It was a beautiful day. The service was superbly attended, tributes were read and performed by family members and Reverend Glover's eulogy was made all the more special by the fact that he knew Dan personally. It was a fitting tribute to a special man. He would have been so proud.
Dan's bereavement aside, the rest of our time here has been a blur of reunions and a roller coaster of emotions. We've seen Rhyl in glorious sunshine, in the middle of it's massive, much needed face lift. The town, after wallowing on the canvas for an age, is on it's way up at last.
We've been away for a little over ten months. That's the longest I've ever been away from Rhyl, doubling my previous best of five months. There have been times when it's seemed like we'd been gone for two years, but as I stepped into the Esplanade Club on my return, it felt like I'd been away for just a couple of weeks.
Catching up with friends and family cannot be described easily. Euphoria would be the closest I could get to explaining my feelings as I continued, day after day, to be reunited with people I hold dear.
It's been a hectic period too. I've felt the pressure of trying to get around to seeing people and doing things that I had planned to do. It hasn't been like any other holiday I've ever experienced.
We've also received some tragic news from Australia whilst we've been here. One of my oldest friends Steve O'Rourke, who lives in Adelaide, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. The doctors have told him he's got the worst strain of the disease and his life expectancy isn't very long.
Steve and I are the same age. We served, and laughed through, a big portion of our army careers together. He is one of the funniest people I've ever met and we have shared some great times in Germany, the USA and in Britain. We joined at around same time and left on the exact same day. In fact we travelled home together the day we left, Steve dropped me and my gear off at Rhyl before he headed home to Oldham.
I remember the journey well, two young blokes set free from the military with their lives in front of them, full of excitement and hope as they headed into 'Civvy Street'.
Steve, Jen and their daughters emigrated to Adelaide almost three years ago and their move was a big factor in us taking the plunge and leaving these shores too. They have both provided Pauline and I with help, support and advice since our Australian adventure began.
As we embark on our gruelling journey from Rhyl to Wodonga, early tomorrow morning, I'll be thinking of my old mate. However down I may be feeling about leaving the comforting bosom of friends and family once again, it will be nothing in comparison to what Steve and Jen are going through right now.
It's a bitter sweet symphony this life.
Pauline's dad's funeral was very sad, but, as far as funerals go, went perfectly. It was a beautiful day. The service was superbly attended, tributes were read and performed by family members and Reverend Glover's eulogy was made all the more special by the fact that he knew Dan personally. It was a fitting tribute to a special man. He would have been so proud.
Dan's bereavement aside, the rest of our time here has been a blur of reunions and a roller coaster of emotions. We've seen Rhyl in glorious sunshine, in the middle of it's massive, much needed face lift. The town, after wallowing on the canvas for an age, is on it's way up at last.
We've been away for a little over ten months. That's the longest I've ever been away from Rhyl, doubling my previous best of five months. There have been times when it's seemed like we'd been gone for two years, but as I stepped into the Esplanade Club on my return, it felt like I'd been away for just a couple of weeks.
Catching up with friends and family cannot be described easily. Euphoria would be the closest I could get to explaining my feelings as I continued, day after day, to be reunited with people I hold dear.
It's been a hectic period too. I've felt the pressure of trying to get around to seeing people and doing things that I had planned to do. It hasn't been like any other holiday I've ever experienced.
We've also received some tragic news from Australia whilst we've been here. One of my oldest friends Steve O'Rourke, who lives in Adelaide, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. The doctors have told him he's got the worst strain of the disease and his life expectancy isn't very long.
Steve and I are the same age. We served, and laughed through, a big portion of our army careers together. He is one of the funniest people I've ever met and we have shared some great times in Germany, the USA and in Britain. We joined at around same time and left on the exact same day. In fact we travelled home together the day we left, Steve dropped me and my gear off at Rhyl before he headed home to Oldham.
I remember the journey well, two young blokes set free from the military with their lives in front of them, full of excitement and hope as they headed into 'Civvy Street'.
Steve, Jen and their daughters emigrated to Adelaide almost three years ago and their move was a big factor in us taking the plunge and leaving these shores too. They have both provided Pauline and I with help, support and advice since our Australian adventure began.
As we embark on our gruelling journey from Rhyl to Wodonga, early tomorrow morning, I'll be thinking of my old mate. However down I may be feeling about leaving the comforting bosom of friends and family once again, it will be nothing in comparison to what Steve and Jen are going through right now.
It's a bitter sweet symphony this life.
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